


even the hourglass stops

by astudyinrose



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Engagement, Falling In Love, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Morning After, Mutual Pining, Post-Banquet, The Summer of Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-10
Updated: 2018-11-10
Packaged: 2019-08-21 07:25:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16572221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astudyinrose/pseuds/astudyinrose
Summary: Victor tipped his face down infinitesimally, and their lips connected.That was it. A few millimeters of movement, and Victor’s entire body lit up from that single point of contact.Their first kiss had been ephemeral as a single heartbeat of a hummingbird—their lips had sealed together for a split second before they hit the ice, jolting them apart, Yuuri’s eyes still wide with surprise.But this time...this time, when their lips touched, every millisecond stretched out. Neither of them moved, the silence of the room falling around them like a heavy curtain.Yuuri’s lips were sweet, like the lip balm that he had put on only hours earlier, and they were soft, softer than Victor had even imagined. And then Yuuri slid a trembling hand into Victor’s hair, tilting his head to the side as his lips parted, deepening the kiss.Victor ached, trying to remember to inhale and exhale, but how was he supposed to remember how to breathe at all when Yuuri was standing therekissing him?[A series of canon verse vignettes occurring outside of what we are shown on the show]





	even the hourglass stops

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, this is really a one shot of only fluff and happiness! Who knew I would be capable of such a thing! (Well, there's a tiny bit of pining in there too, but mostly just tooth-rotting fluff).
> 
> I wrote this fic for the yoilitmag issue #2, themed "Time." Check out the collection for the other great works in the litmag!
> 
> Thanks so much to Laura (longhornletters) for her intrepid beta-ing :)

 

Victor knew that love at first sight wasn’t real.

After all, this wasn’t the first time he’d seen Yuuri Katsuki; it wasn’t even the second or third time.

But now, as Victor stared into those wide brown eyes, framed with long dark eyelashes, fuzzy with champagne…he was starting to understand the phrase. It wasn’t a lightning strike, a sudden epiphany after their eyes had locked for the first time. 

Being trapped in Yuuri’s gaze was like the smell of fresh ice at dawn, the feeling of new skates laced tight. No, it was like landing his first quad; the razor thin blade connecting with the ice just right.

No. It was even better than that.

There weren’t words for this swooping in his stomach, like he was twirling in midair, suspended in the middle of a jump. Something about the way they had danced together, Yuuri’s fingers skimming against Victor’s throat, dipping Victor as far as he could go, their mouths only centimeters from each other...it was unlike anything Victor had ever felt before.

“Hey, I’ve got an idea...” Yuuri slurred, pressing his half-clothed body hard against Victor’s. “What if you come to Hasetsu to be my coach? Be my coach, Victor!”

Victor inhaled sharply, his eyes widening.

“I think you should take him up on it,” Chris said, winking. “You saw what he can do with those thighs.”

Victor glared at him, but then Yuuri stumbled slightly on his feet. Victor caught him, pulling him upright.

“Whoops.” Yuuri giggled drunkenly, pressing his forehead into Victor’s neck. “Clumsy.”

“Come on.” Victor glanced around, suddenly viscerally aware that most of the international skating world was watching them. “Let’s get you back to your room, _da_?”

“Okayyyy.” Yuuri smiled up at him hazily.

“See you later,” Chris called after them. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Victor plucked Yuuri’s pants up from the ground as he started leading Yuuri toward the exit.  

When they finally reached the ballroom doors, Victor pushed them open with his shoulder. Yuuri stumbled a little again, so Victor slid an arm around Yuuri’s waist to steady him.

“Are you staying here in the hotel?” Victor asked, breathing a bit easier now that they were away from prying eyes.

“Yeah, room...uh. Twelve…oh two? I think.”

Nodding, Victor led them over to the elevator. Once they were inside, Yuuri leaned into him, his hand sliding around Victor’s waist, fingers pressing into Victor’s skin through his shirt. The back of Victor’s neck prickled at the touch, his heart beating hard against his chest.

The elevator doors opened on Yuuri’s floor, and Victor helped him down the hall, using the key he’d fished from Yuuri’s pants to open the door to his room.

“Can you get inside okay?” Victor asked gently.

He half-hoped that Yuuri would invite him in, though it was dangerous. He wanted Yuuri so badly that his skin hurt; but it wasn’t just lust. He wanted to be near him, stay with him, not let him out of his sight. He’d never felt like this before about someone, and he didn’t want to let it go. Not yet.

"I'm fine," Yuuri said, but he didn’t go in immediately. Instead, he leaned against the door frame, grinning up at Victor lazily. “You’re cute."

Victor felt his cheeks flush. “Me?”

Yuuri chuckled, pushing off the door frame. He reached out, hesitating a moment, before he slid one hand up the sliver of skin exposed by the still-unbuttoned collar of Victor’s shirt, his fingers skimming upward to curl around Victor’s neck.

Victor stayed completely still, waiting to see what Yuuri would do next.

Yuuri met his gaze, his eyes lidded, and he hesitated for a moment, then reached up with his other hand to touch Victor’s lips with just the pads of his index and middle fingers.

Victor inhaled sharply, his lips tingling at the contact, his hands itching to reach out, to move closer. He wanted to kiss Yuuri _so badly_ , but he shouldn’t, not when Yuuri was too drunk to consent.

Yuuri said something in Japanese, his fingers sliding down Victor’s neck again to his open collar, tugging down against the button, caressing his sternum.

“What does that mean?” Victor asked, moving half a step closer.

Yuuri’s hand twisted into Victor’s tie, pulling him forward. This close, Victor could see the tiny freckles on Yuuri’s cheeks, how plump and pink his lips were.

He should move back, but his entire being was drawn to Yuuri like a magnet.

“I _said_ , ‘no, you’re not cute. You’re gorgeous. The most gorgeous man I’ve ever seen.’” Yuuri bit his lip, his gaze falling to Victor’s mouth.

“No, you are,” Victor said breathlessly. His heart was pounding against his chest.

Yuuri giggled, releasing Victor’s tie, falling back against the doorframe again.

“Ah, Viktorrrr,” he said, his tongue curling around the ‘r’ of his name like a caress. “You never cease to surprise me.”

The chasm of emptiness between them was too much to bear. Victor moved just a tiny bit forward, wanting to close the distance a little.

“Can...can I give you my phone number?” Victor asked, hopeful, panicked, thrown off kilter, because he absolutely _had_ to see Yuuri again, but he had no idea how or when that would happen once he closed the door.

Yuuri blinked at him for a moment, then nodded. He fished his phone out of his pants pocket, unlocking it with his thumb and handing it to Victor.

Fingers shaking just a little, Victor typed his contact information in and handed it back. Yuuri took the phone silently, his eyes wide as he pressed it to his chest, cradling it like it was a precious thing.

Then Yuuri did the most unexpected thing yet. He reached up, cupping Victor’s face with one hand, and kissed his forehead, his lips lingering just long enough that Victor’s skin felt branded in that spot.

Shuddering a bit, Victor opened his eyes. Yuuri’s lips curled upward into a lopsided grin.

“Goodnight, Victor,” Yuuri whispered.

Dropping his hands, Yuuri slowly moved into his room, movements still a bit unsteady, and closed the door, not breaking Victor’s gaze until the last possible second.

Victor stared at the door for a long moment, then turned and leaned against it, clutching his chest.

No, love at first sight wasn’t real. But this...this was the most real thing that had ever happened to him in his twenty-seven years.

 

* * *

The sun beat down on the glittering ocean as Victor emerged from the water, throwing his silver hair back from his face with one hand. Yuuri bit his lip, trying—and failing—not to stare at the beads of water dripping down his flat stomach, at the vee of his hips leading down to his low-slung trunks. Yuuri’s mouth watered, looking at the way the rivulets streamed down Victor’s muscular legs.

Victor put his hands on his hips as he called out at Makkachin, who was still playing in the surf, but the dog ignored him, chasing after a seagull.

Shaking his head, Victor made his way up the sand to their towels.

“You should go back in, the water is wonderful,” Victor said, flopping down next to Yuuri.

“Maybe in a bit,” Yuuri said, adjusting his sunglasses unnecessarily.

Victor lay down on his back, squinting up at the sun. “Does it have to be quite so...bright?” he asked, shading his eyes as he looked up at the cloudless, hazy sky.

“Put on your sunglasses, dumbo.”

Victor tilted his head, squinting over at him. “ _Dumbo_?” he said incredulously.

“Yeah, you know, like the elephant.” Yuuri giggled, tossing Victor’s designer sunglasses at him.

“Ack, don’t _throw_ these.” Victor’s bottom lip jutted out as he inspected them for scratches.

Yuuri rolled his eyes. “They’re fine. You’re so dramatic.”

Victor stuck out his tongue, which made Yuuri’s heart flip-flop in his chest.

Makkachin was now bounding around a group of teenagers down the shore. The kids were laughing, throwing a ball back and forth as the dog ran between them, barking joyfully.

“Makka!” Victor called out again. “Come back!”

Makkachin yipped, bounding back up the sand and immediately pouncing on Victor, licking his face.

“Makka, _no_ ,” Victor laughed. Makkachin barked, wagging his tail.

Victor laughingly pushed him off, his face radiating joy, eyes bright and so, _so_ blue, matching the water behind him …

And Yuuri’s chest tightened, in a way that had been happening more and more lately. He was scared to think about what it meant.

Makkachin finally sat down on his own towel, and Victor frowned down at his chest and trunks; he was covered in wet sand. Yuuri laughed at his disgruntled expression, covering his mouth with his hand.

“Ugh. I need a shower.” Victor stood up, brushing his hands off on his trunks before extending his hand. “Join me?”

Yuuri squinted up at him. “Why don’t you just go in the water?”

“I feel crusty.”

“ _Crusty_?” Yuuri teased.

Victor’s lower lip jutted out again. “Please? Makka needs a wash, too. You can help me.”

Yuuri stared at Victor’s hand for a moment, then grasped it, letting himself be pulled upright.

Grinning, Victor led Yuuri up the beach to the outdoor shower, Makkachin panting in their wake. He didn’t let go of Yuuri’s hand until they reached the showers.

When Victor finally dropped his hand and turned on the faucet, Yuuri flexed it, trying not to feel disappointed.

They washed Makkachin off as best they could without shampoo, but it was difficult to get all the sand out of his fur.

“I suppose I’ll have to take him to be groomed. Again,” Victor grumbled.

Makkachin yipped again, splashing around in the spray, screwing his eyes shut.

“Oh no, _no_ , Makka,” Victor squealed.

“What?” Yuuri asked, confused.

The source of Victor’s protest soon became apparent: Makkachin whipped his fur back and forth, spraying water all over them.

Victor and Yuuri both fell back, covering their eyes, Victor laughing. Yuuri wasn’t paying attention, and his feet hit a crack in the pavement, and suddenly he was falling backward.

“Yuuri!” Victor yelled. He grabbed Yuuri’s arm, wrenching him upward before he could fall completely, but he yanked Yuuri up so hard that Yuuri collapsed into his arms.

Yuuri inhaled sharply, clinging to Victor’s shoulders on instinct.

“Sorry,” Victor said breathlessly. “Are you alright?”

Nodding, Yuuri stared at him, eyes wide, but didn’t move.

Yuuri gulped, the swooping feeling in his stomach, chest tightening, head dizzy...

Victor’s fingers flexed into the hot skin of Yuuri’s back, his hair in his eyes. His eyes were a deep azure, tiny crows’ feet starting to form on the sides of his eyes, his skin tan and freckled in the summer sun, light reflecting off his silver hair.

And then... _t_ _hen_ , Victor’s gaze dipped to Yuuri’s lips, his eyes a little hooded.

In an instant, the universe zeroed down to Victor’s mouth, so close to Yuuri’s own.

_Oh. Oh god._

He couldn’t deny it anymore. That feeling in his stomach, the yearning he felt every time Victor was near, the way his heart would pound when he watched Victor skate...it wasn’t just a crush. It wasn’t just the idolization he had held for Victor since he was young. It wasn’t just that he admired him as a skater and as his coach.

Yuuri gaped for a moment, the realization hitting him like a gut punch: he was in love with Victor. He had been in love with him for so long that he had no idea when it had actually happened. It could have been one quiet morning practice at the rink, when Victor touched the skin on his neck to show him how to curve it into an Ina Bauer; it could have been when Victor had first decided to be his coach, showing up in the onsen on that strange, magical, snowy morning; it could have been when Yuuri had first found his true Eros, skating Hot Springs on Ice for Victor alone; or when they had gone for ramen and sake that one rainy night in May, Victor’s lopsided grin making him dizzy with want. It could have been any of those times, or none of them. But there was no denying it, not anymore.

He was deeply, completely, in love with Victor.

_Fuck._

Victor’s smile faltered, concern sweeping over his expression. “Is something wrong?” he asked softly.

“Uh, um. No. Nothing’s...wrong.” Yuuri chewed his bottom lip, looking at their feet.

Victor stepped back just a bit, taking Yuuri’s hand. “Would you like to walk along the water for a bit?” he asked, the softness in his eyes making Yuuri’s chest hurt.

“O—Okay. Yeah. Sure.”

Victor smiled, squeezing his hand, leading him back down to the water. They walked along the beach for a long time, Makkachin trotting along behind them, and Victor never let go of his hand.

 

 

* * *

Yuuri was quiet the entire way back to the hotel.

As their car wound through the busy streets, Victor snuck glances at him nervously, waiting for Yuuri to bring it up, but he didn’t.

The longer the silence stretched out, the more Victor’s heart sank.

By the time they got to the room, and Victor closed the door behind them, leaning against it, he was starting to panic.

Yuuri dropped his gear bag on the floor unceremoniously, his eyes darting all over the room as he began to pace back and forth.

Victor watched Yuuri’s furtive movements, trying to form a plan of action.

_I’m going to have to tell him it didn’t mean anything, aren’t I?_

The realization cracked his heart a little bit, tiny fissures spreading through his chest...because it wasn’t _enough,_ not anymore, just to have Yuuri in his life, to be able to coach him and see him every day and to only touch him casually, the way a coach touches a student.

No, he wanted to hold Yuuri close at night, to kiss him senseless until they both couldn’t breathe, to walk down the street holding his hand. He wanted...god, he wanted _everything_ with Yuuri. He’d wanted it all since the night of the banquet, what felt like eons ago. He’d wanted it every waking moment since he’d moved to Hasetsu, and he couldn’t seem to find the words to say it.

So, after Yuuri had done the quad flip at the end of the free skate, he’d done something spontaneous and rash and irreversible. It had felt romantic at the time, but maybe...

Maybe Yuuri didn’t want any of it. Didn’t want _him_.

Victor felt his heart breaking just a bit more with every second that ticked by, every second that brought him closer to Yuuri turning him down.

Exhaling slowly, Victor pushed himself off the door. “Yuuri, I—” he began.

“You kissed me,” Yuuri interrupted, his steps halting abruptly.

Victor froze, blinking at him. “I...yes?”

“In front of everyone.” Yuuri waved at the air. “In front of the cameras, the other skaters, my family, the entire world. You just...you just did it.”

Victor pressed his lips together. _Oh, no_ … _he’s angry, I’ve ruined everything, shit, how can I fix this_ —

“Yuuri, I’m so sorry, I—”

Yuuri walked over to him, pressed his hand firmly to Victor’s chest, finally meeting his gaze, and—

The heat that Victor saw there nearly knocked him to his knees. It was deep, visceral, the kind of consuming passion that Victor had felt for Yuuri _so many_ times but he had never dreamed was reciprocated.

But it was right there. Yuuri’s eyes were deep, dark pools of it. Inescapable.

Yuuri licked his lips, his hand still on Victor’s chest. “Will you do it again?” he asked, his voice soft and even.

Victor’s jaw dropped. “You...you want me to?”

Yuuri sunk his teeth into his lower lip, his pupils dilating even further, and an honest-to-god shiver ran down Victor’s spine.

“Yesss,” Yuuri said, dragging the final consonant out with his tongue. He twisted his hand into Victor’s necktie as he stepped a little closer.

“I really, really do,” Yuuri whispered, his lips so close to Victor’s that they were almost brushing.

“Are you sure?” Victor asked, cupping Yuuri’s cheeks with his hands, his heart beating against his chest so hard that he was sure Yuuri could hear it.

Yuuri’s lips curled upward into a smile, his eyes reflecting the city light from beyond the windows, and suddenly, Victor couldn’t wait for one more second.

He tipped his face down infinitesimally, and their lips connected.

That was it. A few millimeters of movement, and Victor’s entire body lit up from that single point of contact.

Their first kiss had been ephemeral as a single heartbeat of a hummingbird—their lips had sealed together for a split second before they hit the ice, jolting them apart, Yuuri’s eyes still wide with surprise.

But this time... _this time_ , when their lips touched, every millisecond stretched out. Neither of them moved, the silence of the room falling around them like a heavy curtain.

Yuuri’s lips were sweet, like the lip balm that he had put on only hours earlier, and they were soft, softer than Victor had even imagined. And then Yuuri slid a trembling hand into Victor’s hair, tilting his head to the side as his lips parted, deepening the kiss.

Victor ached, trying to remember to inhale and exhale, but how was he supposed to remember how to breathe at all when Yuuri was standing there _kissing_ him?

Yuuri let out a little sigh, his fingers tightening into Victor’s hair. And when Yuuri’s tongue slipped into his mouth, Victor felt the blood completely rush out of his head.

Victor had kissed many men in his life, but he’d never felt like every inch of him, every single neuron, was firing at an astounding rate, down to the tingling of his toes. He wanted to feel Yuuri’s skin against his own, tangled up in him; he wanted to kiss Yuuri until sunrise, over and over and over again until they lost themselves in each other.

Yuuri nipped at Victor’s bottom lip gently, and Victor whimpered. Chuckling softly, Yuuri pressed in a little harder, their tongues sliding against each other.

Eventually, Yuuri pulled back, pressing his forehead against Victor’s, his hand sliding down to cup Victor’s cheek. Victor realized he was shaking, trembling with the magnitude of what had just shifted between them.

“Victor,” Yuuri said, his tongue—the tongue that had just been in Victor’s mouth—curling around the “r” of his name just like it had that first night in Sochi.

“Yes,” Victor breathed.

“I want...I _want_. But…” Yuuri pressed his lips together. “I’m not...I’m.”

Yuuri bit his lip, his cheeks coloring as he looked down, and Victor felt such a surge of love for him that he could barely contain it.

Victor slid his fingers under Yuuri’s chin, tilting his face up. “Let’s just change and go to sleep, _solnyshko._ You had a very long day.”

Yuuri looked up at him, relief passing over his expression “I want you,” he said, a slight tremble to his voice. “Just not...yet.”

“I know,” Victor said, his heart beating frantically with the knowledge. _Yuuri wants me, Yuuri wants me, Yuuri wants_ me _._ “We can take things slowly. We have time.”

Yuuri pulled Victor close for another kiss, one that left Victor breathless.

They put on their pyjamas, and Yuuri slid into bed after Victor, looking tentative.

“Is this...okay?” he asked.

Victor said nothing, simply moving closer and pulling Yuuri to him. Yuuri sighed, curling his body into Victor’s, tangling their legs together. Victor threaded his hand into Yuuri’s silky hair, sighing, basking in the warmth of Yuuri’s body, more content than he had been in many, many years.

 

 

* * *

For most of his life, Yuuri had hated mornings.

Mornings were about waking up before dawn and running to the rink in the hazy grey light. They were for sweat and pain before most people even contemplated stirring, or starting their day.

But now, in his childhood bedroom, Victor’s body pressed close to his as he slowly made his way to consciousness…Yuuri decided mornings could be pretty great after all.

It was far from the first time he’d woken up next to Victor, but it was the first time it had been _like this._

Yuuri blinked his eyes open slowly, and was greeted by a beautiful sight. The sunlight slanted through his blinds, striping across Victor’s relaxed face, his hair in his eyes, eyelashes fanned out over his pale cheeks.

Being with Victor had always been exhilarating—it was a rush to have his full attention, on the ice or off it. For a long time, Yuuri had resigned himself to only having that.

But then, in a split second at Cup of China, everything had changed.

Since then, Victor had been patient with him, never pushing him farther than he wanted to go. But eventually, Yuuri hadn’t been able to wait one second longer to give all of himself to Victor.

Now, he was changed irrevocably, knowing what it was like to be cradled in Victor’s arms as he fell apart.

Watching him now, Yuuri felt an overwhelming surge of love, so deep that he wasn’t sure he could contain it much longer.

Victor stirred slightly, his eyes fluttering open. Yuuri’s entire body sang with joy when their gazes met, and his lips tipped upward into a wide grin.

_Oh, man. I’m such a goner._

“Morning,” Victor said, his voice a low rumble.

Yuuri bit his bottom lip, almost shy, which was ridiculous. They were lying together in bed, naked, after all.

“Morning.” Yuuri’s voice cracked slightly.

Lips tipping upward into a smile, Victor slid his hand around Yuuri’s waist to pull him closer. Yuuri sighed contentedly, letting himself be tucked close into Victor’s body, pressing his nose into the crook of Victor’s neck. They dozed for a while in that pocket of sunshine, tangled together, happiness thrumming through Yuuri’s body.

“I have to tell you something,” Victor said eventually.

Yuuri felt his whole body tense. “Oh?” he said, aiming for nonchalant.

Victor traced the outline of Yuuri’s shoulder blade, making Yuuri’s skin break out in goosebumps. “I’ve been meaning to tell you for some time, but I...I didn’t…” Victor cleared his throat.

There was a long pause, and Yuuri’s heart pounded against his chest.

“Is it...was I bad?” Yuuri whispered.

“What? No!” Victor moved down the bed so that they could look into each other’s eyes again. His eyes were wide as he cupped Yuuri’s cheek. “Oh, no, no, I’m sorry, it’s not...you weren’t, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you think—” he growled softly, shaking his head. “No. It was _wonderful_.”

Relief flooding through him, Yuuri put his hand over Victor’s. “It was for me, too.”

Victor nodded, biting his lip. “It’s just hard to...find the words.”

He paused, then leaned down to sip from Yuuri’s lips again, so sweetly that Yuuri almost couldn’t breathe, his anxiety slowly melting away with every brush of their lips.

And then Victor whispered it, so softly that Yuuri could barely hear him: “I love you, Yuuri.”

Yuuri inhaled sharply. “You...w—what?” he stuttered.

Victor chuckled softly. “Hmmm, that wasn’t exactly the response I was expecting to hear.”

Yuuri blinked at him for a moment, stunned.

The moment stretched out, and he licked his lips. “Say it again,” he whispered. “Please.”

Smiling, Victor rubbed his thumb over Yuuri’s cheekbone.

“I love you, Yuuri,” Victor said, more loudly this time.

Yuuri felt his eyes widen, his heart about to burst in his chest.

The silence stretched out—one heartbeat, then two, then three. Yuuri was suspended in the surreal moment. Victor had said those three words, words he’d longed to hear but never dared to hope for.

Victor cleared his throat. “It’s, um. It’s okay, you don’t have to say it yet, I’m not trying to pressure you, I just—”

“I love you too,” Yuuri blurted out.

Victor’s breath hitched.  “You do?”

“Of course I do. I...I thought you knew that.”

They stared at each other for a long moment, then Victor pushed him onto his back, swinging his leg over so that he was straddling Yuuri’s hips, framing Yuuri’s face with both his hands.

“Say it again,” he said, his eyes glittering with excitement.

Yuuri put his hands over Victor’s, laughing giddily.

“I love you. I’ve loved you for so long I’m not even sure when it started, but it’s been a really, really long time. I love you more than anything.”

“Even skating?”

“Even skating,” Yuuri said honestly.

Victor grinned so widely that it was almost goofy, before he leaned down to press their foreheads together. “You make me so happy,” he said gently. “I can’t believe I found you.”

Yuuri slid his arms around Victor’s back, feeling lighter than air, effervescent happiness bubbling up in his chest.

 _So this is what it feels like,_ he thought. _To be in love, and to be loved._

“Me too,” he whispered. “Me too.”

 

* * *

They found a quiet restaurant on a side street off of Las Ramblas, and were seated in a booth tucked away in the far back.

Victor ordered a robust bottle of tempranillo and a seafood paella—their third in as many days—with a side of croquetas and patatas bravas.

When the waiter brought their wine, Victor took a sip, then folded his hands on the table.

“So,” Victor began.

“So,” Yuuri said.

The glittering gold of Yuuri’s ring caught the light as he put down his wine glass.

Victor picked up his fork, pretending to speak into it like a reporter. “Katsuki Yuuri, you just broke the world record in the men’s free skate, surpassing your coach Victor’s score by ten full points. What are you going to do next?” He held out the fork toward Yuuri’s mouth.

Yuuri’s cheeks flushed, and he looked down at his hands. “I’m not sure,” he mumbled.

“Wrong answer,” Victor said, replacing his fork on the table.

Yuuri’s eyes flicked upward again. “Oh?”

“The correct answer is, ‘I’m going to take my fiance out for a lovely dinner, and then we are going back to the hotel, and I’m going ravish him so hard that he feels it for days.’ End quote.”

Yuuri’s jaw dropped, and Victor giggled, biting his lower lip.

Yuuri narrowed his eyes. “I thought we weren’t getting married anymore, since I didn’t win gold.”

“Psh.” Victor waved his hand. “You will. Of that I have no doubt.”

The waitress came with their food, and silence fell as they started digging in. Barcelonian paella was something to be savored; it was one of Victor’s top ten favorite foods in the world.

Well. Top twenty at least.

They ate slowly, chatting about this and that—Yurio winning gold, moving to St. Petersburg, how Victor would reenter the competitive field in only a few weeks. Eventually, bellies full, they paid and walked down to the ocean.

They strolled along the water for a bit, looking out at the dark sea, hand in hand. Yuuri was quiet, and Victor just let him be so, knowing that he was thinking something out.  

Yuuri stopped eventually, gazing out over the railing. Victor glanced over at him, wondering how each time he saw Yuuri, he became more beautiful. The street lamps highlighted his hair, making it appear almost coppery; his lips pink in the slight chill from the sea wind. His eyelashes were so long that they hit his glasses, leaving little streaks on the lens.

“So we are, though,” Yuuri said, out of nowhere.

Victor tilted his head. “We are...what?”

Yuuri bit his lip, thumbing the ring on Victor’s finger contemplatively. “I realized...after that night, I realized, that I never. I never actually _asked_ you. I was so nervous that I never actually said the words.”

Comprehension dawned. Victor held Yuuri’s hand up to kiss the back of it.

“Do you want me to do it?” he asked.

“No, I—” Yuuri made a noise of frustration, looking out at the ocean for a moment. Victor didn’t let go of his hand, rubbing the knuckles soothingly.

When Yuuri met Victor’s gaze again, his eyes were filled with the same determined look he got when he was about to attempt a quad he’d never landed before.

“You know this by now, but I looked up to you for most of my life,” Yuuri said, a slight tremble to his voice. “I mean, I basically worshipped you.”

He swallowed, his throat working. “My one goal was to meet you on the ice as a competitor, to feel like I deserved to be there.”

Victor nodded slowly.

“Then when I finally got to the Grand Prix, I completely failed.”

“You didn’t—” Victor started to protest.

Yuuri held up his hand. “I did, in my own eyes, at least. I didn’t live up to my true potential, didn’t show you what I could do, and that was a failure to me. And after I flopped at nationals, failing to qualify for Worlds, I felt like everything had crumbled in front of my eyes. I sunk into a deep depression, so deep that I barely passed some of my classes that semester.”

Victor pressed his lips together, imagining Yuuri all alone, beating himself up for his ‘failure.’ It made his chest hurt.

“But the one thing that kept me going through that was you. You were a constant in my life, even when I you had no idea who I was. I was always drawn to you, to your skating. After nationals, I started learning _Stammi Vicino_ , and no matter what, skating your moves always made me feel connected to the world again, brought me back to my love of skating.

“But then...that day you showed up at my door, it was like everything in my life leading up until that moment was nothing, because you were _there_. Over the next few months, I realized that the person I had built you up to be in my mind was nothing like the real you. I mean, your skating is even better than I had imagined, but...your kindness, your stubbornness, your love of food, the way your eyes look first thing in the morning, everything you are...the love I held for you as my hero, as a skater morphed into something completely different, something I’d never felt before. I wasn’t sure how it happened, but … ”

He bit his lip, taking Victor’s two hands in his own, kissing the back of both of them. Victor felt joy bubbling up in his chest.

“I realized that I had fallen in love with you. You, not the idealized version of you I’d kept in my heart for so long. But I had no idea whether you felt the same.”

“I did,” Victor said. “Ever since Sochi.”

“I know that now,” Yuuri said, shaking his head. “I still can’t believe I don’t remember that night at all.”

He reached up and cupped Victor’s cheek, and Victor tilted his head, leaning into the touch.

“Getting a world record, even winning gold at the Grand Prix or Worlds, couldn’t possibly compare to how much I love you.”

Victor’s heart picked up, and he felt suspended on the edge of something, but he wasn’t afraid to fall, not anymore.

Yuuri’s dark eyes glinted in the dim light from the street lamps. “Victor, will you marry me?” he asked softly.

Victor had thought he was prepared for this moment. He’d already worn Yuuri’s ring for two days, and he’d already considered himself wedded to Yuuri for life.

But hearing those five words uttered aloud by Yuuri himself was incomparable. Victor’s eyes welled up with tears until one dropped down his cheek.

Yuuri swept the droplet away with his thumb, his lips turning upward into a tentative smile.

“Nothing would make me happier, _zolotse_ ,” Victor said, his voice shaking slightly.  

He leaned down to press his forehead against Yuuri’s.

“I’m so lucky you showed up at my door that day,” Yuuri sighed.

“I’m the lucky one,” Victor replied. He leaned forward, sealing their lips together, and Yuuri arched his back, pressing his body into Victor’s.

They kissed for a long time, the sea air whipping against their clothes, and Victor couldn’t wait for the rest of their lives to begin.


End file.
